The federal government recently announced its plans to close 137 of the nation's data centers by the end of this year in an effort to make America's IT infrastructure cheaper and more efficient. Two of those data centers are located at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston.

A total of 39 data centers have already been closed and the remainder are slated for closure by the end of the year. The closures are expected to affect a total of 16 federal agencies throughout the country, although it's not yet known exactly how many jobs will be cut as part of this process.

According to an article by The Wall Street Journal, the agencies to be affected by the closures include:

• Department of Agriculture
• Department of Commerce
• Department of Energy
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Department of Homeland Security
• Department of the Interior
• Department of Justice
• Department of Labor
• Department of State
• Department of Transportation
• Department of the Treasury
• Department of Veterans Affairs
• General Services Administration
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• U.S. Agency for International Development

As part of a larger plan to reduce overall government spending, the federal government is planning to close 800 data centers by 2015, a move that would potentially save $3 billion per year. The number of federal data centers has grown from 432 in 1998 to 2,094 today.

The majority of those data centers are used to store data and servers and for networking purposes. However, many of those facilities have surpassed their budgets and are not used enough, with experts estimating that only 27 percent of a typical data center is used.

The Texas Emerging Technology Fund recently announced that it will invest $2.75 million in Terrabon Inc. The company plans to use the funding in a collaborative effort with Texas A&M University to commercialize a technology that converts non-food biomass into biofuels - an important step in pursuing new clean energy solutions.

"As our population grows by about 1,000 people a day, we must ensure our energy supply keeps up with increasing demand," Gov. Rick Perry said. "Now is the time to tackle that challenge, and we're using the Texas Emerging Technology Fund and this investment in Terrabon’s biofuels technology as a key tool in that effort."

The technology invented by Houston-based Terrabon converts such materials as solid waste, sewage, forest product residues, and non-edible energy crops into chemicals and secondary alcohols that when further refined can produce non-ethanol gas, jet fuel, or diesel.

"This investment by the Texas Emerging Technology Fund will play an integral role both in confirming the potential of our technologies and in expediting our plans for commercial deployment," Terrabon CEO Gary Luce said.

The TETF - a $200 million initiative - was created in 2005 by the Texas Legislature to allow high-tech leaders, entrepreneurs and research experts to review projects and recommend funding allocations to state officials. The program has allocated more than $157 million in funding to 112 early-state companies and $161 million in grant matching and research funds to universities throughout Texas.

Houston tech jobs

Ten local organizations that offer the connections and resources necessary to build a successful technology company will come together this week for the Tech Connection event hosted by radio personality Michael Garfield.

The event, which will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. January 28 at The Houstonian Hotel, will allow attendees to learn about these organizations, their plans for the future and what the City of Houston is doing to create tech jobs during these tough economic times.

Organizations scheduled to present at the event include: BioHouston; Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Houston Bauer College of Business; Greater Houston Partnership; Houston Angel Network; HTC Americas; MIT Enterprise Forum of Texas; Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship; Startup Houston ; and University of Houston Small Business Development Center.

"Tech Connection is a prime example of how the local tech community comes together to share ideas, network, and build collaborative relationships," Walter Ulrich, president and CEO of the Houston Technology Center said. "If you are involved in the tech community, this is an event you will want to attend."

Tech Connection was founded by HTC's Emergency Technology Council, a volunteer organization that supports the emerging technology community throughout the Houston area. ETC's vision is to make Houston a recognized center for the creation and growth of emerging technology business.

More specifically, ETC focuses on building infrastructure; retaining and attracting emerging technology companies; and being a concierge for emerging technology companies to connect them to resources, customers and sources of capital.

HTC is a nonprofit business accelerator that works to educate entrepreneurs and assist emerging companies in Houston's key technology sectors, including energy, information technology, life sciences and NASA-originated technologies.

HTC is currently supported by 300 professional firms, corporations and organizations, as well as leading academic institutions, the Greater Houston Partnership, Texas Medical Center, Johnson Space Center and the City of Houston.